We are all an example, of one kind or another, to someone or another. In filling the various roles that we play in life, we could find ourselves becoming a different type of example to those we associated with in each role. By roles I mean: father, son, mother, daughter, sibling, student, teacher, employer, employee, christian, rogue, or whatever. Most of us can probably identify ten or more roles that we play on a regular basis. Paraphrasing Shakespeare: The world is a stage and all the people are actors. It is not likely that we are good or bad examples in all of our roles, but we are examples.
One day in Church a young lady stood at the pulpit and shared this story. She returned home for a visit after being away to school. Her younger brother, who had always admired her, told her that he was so proud of her. She had never really felt like she was anyone special. Her brother, on the other hand, just stayed close by her and told her several times that when he got bigger he wanted to be just like her. For the first time she felt the responsibility to be an example. If her little brother felt that way about her, maybe she needed to be more careful what she says and how she acts around others who may be watching her, as well. We are all potential examples to our siblings, our friends, the people in our neighborhood, etc. The kind of example we want to be should be decided as early as possible in our lives.
Bad examples may have as many followers as good examples. Often the less confident find it easier to follow after the examples of those who expect very little or nothing from their admirers. They only demand the kind of respect that the young lady was getting from her little brother. A good example walks the line; they are an example of discipline and hard work. Mark Twain said that, “Few things are harder to put up with than a good example.” Slackers hate a good example because it makes them look bad in comparison. Their admirers can easily judge and then may say to themselves, ‘There is no glory in him.’ Just as Moses said to Satan, “… behold, Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me. And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee? For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely ?” (Moses1:12–14) We would like to think that a good example has glory or at least a positive attractiveness, whereas the bad example would have only negative traits to attract their followers. There are those who admire an abrasive, ‘take charge’ person even if his motives are not civil.
The real history of civilization is the story of extraordinary individuals. They are the ones who excite and inspire us. Is there any emotion that rivals the one we feel when we say, “I can’t believe a human being did that?” Alexander Green told the following story: “In the summer of 1941, Sergeant James Allen Ward was awarded the Victoria Cross for climbing out onto the wing of his Wellington bomber in mid-flight to extinguish a fire in the starboard engine. Secured only by a rope around his waist, he smothered the fire and managed to crawl back into the cabin.” This is the kind of example that stands out from a crowd. Then there are the Mother Teresa examples who for decades just quietly go about doing good, never looking for, nor asking for, recognition. Their motivation is heart felt, oriented only toward alleviating human suffering in whatever way they can. Yes, the examples we become aware of publicly are the most popular, because we don’t have to search for them. Then there are others who go through life unassuming and unimportant, but they are there doing unto others as they would have done unto them.
A good example, of course, doesn’t have to be a hero or even in the spotlight as a superstar of some kind. The good neighbor can be one who is always there to lend a hand and to speak kind words to the neighborhood children or one who may shovel the snow from the widow’s walkway or one who is always there at the neighborhood service project to do what he can. Another would be a man or woman who treats their spouse kindly and who has raised children who are now contributing to society in positive ways. These are examples to us all. These are they whom we try to emulate. They are the backbone of our communities as well as the unsung examples to our posterity and future generations. May God bless us to recognize our responsibility to be good examples in whatever role we may be playing and to everyone we associate with while in that role.